Water filters have become common fixtures in appliances adapted to dispense water or ice, or produce ice. These filters are provided in appliances to filter municipal water, well water, or other water sources in order to improve water quality for human consumption. A variety of attachment mechanisms and arrangements are used to engage a water filter to an appliance. Generally, appliances are adapted to receive a single filter design used upon the attachment mechanism or arrangement used, and the filters, have one predetermined, fixed size and filtering capacity and are entirely disposed as waste when used. Typically, current water filters are lengthy substantially cylindrically shaped structure. They are shaped this way to allow for greater capacity and useful life and to allow for their engagement to the appliance by a user at a generally rearward location. As a result, the engagement mechanism on the appliance is generally recessed or only accessible when a user grasps the end distal from the water filter's appliance engaging end and inserts it into a filter receiving/engaging cavity in the appliance. The water filter is thereafter typically twisted/rotated about its elongated axis to engage the filter with the appliance. There are certain filter designs employing one or more protrusions along the length of the generally cylindrical shaped filter that function to operate a switch within the appliance to indicate the presence of a filter, its capacity, or other information to the appliance when the filter is engaged to the appliance.